Beaverkill Covered Bridge · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Fewer people are out of work in Rockland (0.8%) than in 96% of U.S. towns
About one in five work in Rockland; the top destination outside it is New York City (13%, 100 miles). Rockland grades C for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 84% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Rockland, in brief
Rockland’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Rockland is New York City, 100 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (176) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from Rockland are quick
The average trip to work takes 24 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Rockland
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rockland is better than 30% of U.S. towns, #576 of 758 in New York. Unemployment holds Rockland’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 5% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rockland could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Rockland
About 35% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The trip to work from Rockland: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rockland workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,543 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many people are in Rockland by day
On a workday 1,076 residents head out to work, 239 work right here, and 386 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in Rockland on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.48 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Rockland: the destinations
Where Rockland clocks in
13% of workers
10% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Jobs in Rockland: what the 625 are
625 jobs are based in Rockland.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rockland, 2014 → 2024: 606 → 625. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Rockland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute in Rockland is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rockland is more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns, #534 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 5.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,688 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.1% of Rockland households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Rockland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,593 U.S. towns of 2,300 to 4,500, Rockland comes 3,214th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | East Williston NY | 2,616 | $215K | 2.3% | 1.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 10 | Lloyd Harbor NY | 3,587 | $250K | 2.1% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Great Neck Estates NY | 3,139 | $238K | 5.7% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,212 | Delmar DE | 2,366 | $61K | 9.2% | 4.6% | 5% | C |
| 3,213 | Elma WA | 3,534 | $78K | 24.9% | 3.5% | 10% | C |
| 3,214 | Rockland NY | 3,335 | $53K | 14.5% | 0.8% | 18% | C |
| 3,215 | Pojoaque NM | 2,327 | $74K | 11.3% | 7.0% | 8% | C |
| 3,216 | Florence CO | 3,856 | $50K | 12.2% | 2.2% | 13% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,593 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Rockland, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bordering towns draw 12% of Rockland’s workers
The biggest share goes to Liberty (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rockland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockland | – | C | B− | 24 min | $52,778 |
| Liberty | 7% | C− | A− | 25 min | $68,047 |
| Colchester | 2% | C− | C+ | 33 min | $67,222 |
| Fremont | under 2% | C | D− | 29 min | $67,115 |
| Neversink | under 2% | B− | C+ | 32 min | $80,682 |
| Hardenburgh | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Callicoon | 3% | C+ | B | 28 min | $92,833 |
| Denning | under 2% | — | — | 36 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Hardenburgh and Denning: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rockland’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Rockland: questions
What is the median household income in Rockland?
$52,778 (±$11,596) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rockland?
14.5%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rockland?
24 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rockland work?
18% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (13%, 100 mi), Thompson (10%, 23 mi), Liberty (7%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Rockland walkable?
Rockland is more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rockland without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rockland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rockland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.